The blue metal door rattled as we pushed it open, and we were greeted with a friendly “Bună ziua! Ce faceți?”
All I can do is smile politely, because I have no idea what that means.
Little did I know as I walked through those blue metal doors for the first time, that this confusion and helplessness would punctuate my time with Word Made Flesh Romania for the next five weeks.
Coming into this internship with Word Made Flesh, I arrived with grand plans of serving and helping the vulnerable children and families of Galați, Romania. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that. But I was going to do it!
However, our first interactions with the children quickly humbled me.
After learning our names, we were bombarded with questions. Zoe de unde ești? Câți ani ai? Ești chinez?
To all this questioning I would stare back at them blankly, confused and frustrated because I didn’t even have the words to say “I don’t understand.”
It was in these first moments that I started to question my ambitious plans: how can I serve and help these children if I can’t even speak their language?
For the first few weeks, I felt the deep tension of wanting to make an impact but not knowing how to do so. Day by day as we learned more words and phrases through our Romanian lessons, I began to start picking up on words in conversations. But each day at lunch, I was confronted with the same helplessness as I sat across from a child, not knowing what to say.
I cannot pinpoint a clear moment when this happened – as with most transformations of the heart – but one day, I decided to let go. To let go of my pride that wanted to prove myself worthy and useful to this community, and to let go of the goal to make a lasting impact in the short five weeks that I am here.
It’s not that these things are unimportant, or that it’s bad to want to make an impact. But rather the lesson I needed to learn is that before we can serve or help, we are called to take the posture of a learner. This means humbling myself to admit that there is so much that I don’t know about the culture, history, and people of Romania.
I thought I came to give, but rather I received so much from the people of Romania. From the hospitality of our host families, to the countless Sarmale’s (traditional stuffed cabbage rolls) that were offered to us, and to the infectious joy of the children that made me feel like a child again.
These new friends that I made in Romania taught me so much. I learned about Romanians’ love for sour soup and pickles, what it was like to grow up in communism, and that community development work takes time and is hard to measure, because relationships take time and cannot be quantified.
But most importantly, they showed me what true community looks like. It looks like carrying each other’s crosses when life is tough, it looks like showing up on your good days as well as your bad, and it looks like witnessing each other’s brokenness but still choosing love.
They also taught me that relationships can transcend language. Despite my broken Romanian, this never deterred the kids from yelling our names as they ran into the playground to teach us new games, nor did it stop the staff at Word Made Flesh Romania from listening to our stories and inviting us into their own sorrows and joys.
I entered this internship wanting to learn more about what it looks like to work in international development with a non-profit organization. I got what I wanted, but it wasn’t what I envisioned. Instead of gaining new bullet points to add to my resume, I gained some different things, things that are intangible but more important than anything I can list on my credentials.
I gained a new understanding of poverty – especially God’s preferential option for the poor, as well as our call as Christians to care for the poor.
I grew in knowledge about Romania’s history and culture, and how these have shaped the Romanian people today.
I learned the importance of learning another’s language.
I grew in character by choosing to show up day-after-day even when I’m tired and uncomfortable and socially exhausted.
And through our conversations and community, I learned what it feels like to be seen and accepted, for both my darkness and my light. Which in turn gave me the freedom to love others for all of who they are.
These are the things that I will carry forward with me in my heart and mind wherever I go next.
Zoe Wang | WMF Romania Intern
Zoe is a student at the University of Notre Dame with a passion for community development, education, and intercultural ministry. As a Word Made Flesh Romania intern, she spent the summer building relationships with children, families, and staff in the Galați community while learning what it means to serve through long-term presence in vulnerable communities. Having grown up in Shanghai, studied in the United States, and with numerous international experiences, Zoe brings a global perspective and a deep curiosity about the intersection of faith, culture, and community. She hopes to pursue a vocation that reflects Christ’s love while serving others.